And then there was that time Sarah Silverman was on Star Trek... Wait, what? Sarah Silverman was on Star Trek? Some of you are saying, "Come on, everybody knows that." And, sure, longtime Trek fans, Voyager diehards and, of course, Sarah Silverman aficionados surely know that the funny lady appeared on Trek, but for those who don't... yes, a very young Silverman played Rain Robinson in the Voyager episodes, "Future's End, Part I" and "Future's End, Part II," back in 1996. In fact, "Part II" debuted 18 years ago today. The character was a human scientist tasked with searching for extraterestrials as part of Earth's SETI program, and it was she who picked up Voyager's warp signal, triggering a series of events involving Henry Starling (Ed Begley Jr.), the timeship Aeon, Earth's possible destruction and a kiss between Robinson and Tom Paris.
As it turned out, the Trek writers and producers, particularly Brannon Braga, were so impressed with Silverman and her chemistry with Robert Duncan McNeill that they nearly brought the actress on board fulltime. That revelation became news in 2011, when Bryan Fuller tweeted: "LIL' KNOWN: Star Trek Voyager producers considered making @SarahKSilverman a regular after her S3 turn as plucky present day astronomer." Of course, Braga and company eventually recruited a different actress for a fulltime role: Jeri Ryan joined the cast in season four, playing the game-changing and star-making role of Seven of Nine.
So, what do you remember of Silverman's appearances on Voyager? And would you have wanted to see her on the show as a regular?
